Dark Fire
by lesbianfanfiction
Summary: The Teen Titans have beaten their last enemy and have managed to relax in the past year. The new respite from danger has allowed them to pursue relationships, and it seems that Raven has fallen for her best friend, Starfire. How will this pairing play out? (Note: the first chapter is the intro, and explains the settings and the characters. very quick, but needed.)
1. Intro

**Characters**

Beast Boy/BB:

~Mutated human

~19 years old

~Six foot

~Green eyes, dark green hair, light green skin, tall and lean

~Mischievous, silly, boyish, prankster

~Bisexual

Cyborg/Cy:

~Half robot, half human

~23 years old

~Six foot five inches

~Human half African American, dark brown eyes, shaved head, extremely tall, muscled

~Funny, sporty, video gamer, light-hearted

~Straight

Robin:

~Human

~20 years old

~Five foot ten inches

~Tan, brown eyes, black hair, lithe, athletic, flexible, and agile

~Serious, focused, determined, can have a funny side

~Straight/Maybe Bisexual

Raven:

~Half demon, half human

~20 years old

~Five foot five inches

~Pale, deep navy eyes, violet hair down to shoulder blades, athletic build, powerful, strong, and beautiful

~Mysterious, dark, quiet, sarcastic, loner

~Lesbian

Starfire/Star:

~Alien from Tamaran

~20 years old

~Five foot eight inches

~Tan, green eyes, deep red hair down to waist, slender, fast, powerful

~Gorgeous, joyous, innocent, kind, sweet, enthusiastic

~Pansexual (as most Tamaraneans are)

Jinx:

(Not really in story much.)

Basic info: 22, five foot three, slightly mischievous, pale, pink hair, purple eyes.

**Setting/Basic Backstory**

Set approximately two or three years after the Teen Titans have defeated their last major enemy.

The gang is not really needed anymore, but they decided to stay together in Titan Tower as best friends and roommates. So far, no one has shown any interest in moving out or buying their own place, not even the mysterious Raven. The five friends had essentially decided to reside together in the tower until their deaths—it was so much easier to be among other superheroes, not trying to fit in to the human world.

While no longer officially the Teen Titans, the group still had regular training every other day, and worked alongside the Jump City police when needed. They watched movies, played videogames, went out to town, and did basically everything else together. They were inseparable.

In terms of relationships, Cyborg was getting fairly serious with Jinx. Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire, and Robin were single. Cyborg and BB were still best friends, despite Cy and Jinx spending more and more time together. Robin was still sort of a loner, but he and BB were hanging out more and more—friends, or maybe something more. Raven had a couple non-serious relationships with mortal girls, none of them lasting more than two or three months. Starfire had only one relationship—a small fling with Robin that ended quickly. Cyborg and BB were no longer virgins—Cy to Jinx, and BB to Aqualad (a six-month relationship that ended on good terms.) Robin, Raven, and Star were all still virgins, none of them having been in any serious relationships.

Other small details; Starfire still had Silky, her pet maggot. Cyborg had found a stray, injured puppy and brought him home, creating a new leg for the dog (it was hit by a car and shattered its right front leg.) The group had named him Rocky, and the big, long-haired, brown dog became their mascot and pet. The tower's walls are soundproof. Raven still likes to keep to herself. Star still has trouble with earth ways.

This is a mostly T-rated fan fiction, but it does have some M-rated stuff between Raven and Starfire.

Rated: M

Orientations Represented: ALL

Pairing: Raven/Starfire

(Some Cyborg/Jinx, possibly Beast Boy/Robin)

**DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH GAY/ LESBIAN RELATIONSHIPS**

**YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED**


	2. Emerging Feelings

Chapter 1

Emerging Feelings

The Teen Titans' tower sat still and silent as the sun slowly rose over the bay's sparkling waters. The moon faded out of view, and daylight broke peacefully.

Peacefully, that is, except for the kitchen.

Starfire bustled about, smiling happily as she pulled seemingly random ingredients out of the fridge and cupboards and throwing them in a large pot on the stove. She was wearing jean shorts, a tight purple tank top under a loose knitted cardigan, and flip flops. Silky, her pet worm, slumbered on the counter. The other four titans and their dog, Rocky, were all still asleep in their respective rooms. Today was Saturday, their day off, and they all planned to enjoy it fully.

Starfire whizzed around, tossing eggs, toast, and bacon into the pot and lighting the stove. In another, smaller pan, she put tofu and veggies for Beast Boy. She hummed happily as she flew plates and utensils over to the table and set the places. She poured Cyborg, Robin, and herself glasses of milk, and gave Beast Boy his own glass of soy milk. Lastly, she boiled tea for her 'dearest friend Raven,' knowing that the dark girl drank a cup each morning.

It was six thirty when Beast Boy heard his name from the hallway.

"Huh? Wha'sup?" he groaned, rolling over. Rocky was resting on his bed, ears perked.

"Friend Beast Boy? Are you awake?" BB heard Starfire call again, her voice bubbling with excitement.

Beast Boy shifted into a cheetah, stretched luxuriously, and turned back into a man to open his door.

"What's the matter, Star?" he asked wearily, blinking heavily. Rocky trotted out of his room and into the kitchen.

"Oh, friend, nothing is the matter! But I have made breakfast, and would like you to do the 'pigging out' with me! I will ask the others as well!" Star replied enthusiastically, hugging Beast Boy and then clasping her hands together excitedly. BB sighed, but there was no resisting Star when she was making that face.

"Alright, Star. I'll be in the kitchen in a bit." Starfire smiled happily and flew off towards Cyborg's room. Beast Boy pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, then shuffled towards the kitchen in his socks.

Star woke Cyborg, who groaned jokingly but agreed to eat as well. Star then floated to Robin's room.

"Robin?" Star called, knocking on the boy wonder's door. Robin answered immediately, wearing dark jeans, sturdy boots, and a red t-shirt. After the team had defeated Slade, Robin had taken off his mask and left it off, revealing expressive brown eyes set into his handsome face.

"Starfire." Robin smiled, giving her a hug. "Breakfast, I'm guessing?"

"Oh, yes! How did you know of my plans, friend Robin?" Star gushed, clapping her hands with glee.

"Lucky guess. See you soon, Star." Robin grinned and walked towards the kitchen.

The only one left was Raven. The thought of the dark girl made Starfire's stomach jump. She paused, massaging her stomach. Was she ill? Star waited until the feeling subsided and flew to Raven's room, suddenly nervous.

Raven awoke silently from her sleep when she sensed someone outside of her door. She stood up and swiftly pulled on her cloak over her tank top and underwear, detecting Star outside her room. Starfire was standing with her hand raised, hesitating to knock, and Raven felt the nervousness emanating off of her friend.

Raven opened the door before Starfire could knock.

"Yes?" she inquired quietly. Star jumped slightly, but she was becoming more used the half-demon's silent materializations.

"Friend Raven! I have made breakfast and warm tea for us!" Starfire recovered quickly, smiling and tilting her head to the side. Raven's stomach twitched mysteriously at the thought of a meal with the other girl.

"Thank you, Star, but I'm not really hungry…" Raven let her voice drop away at the sight of Star's face falling. "Alright. Give me a moment to change." Star's eyes lit back up, and she clasped her hands together. Raven turned away, letting the door slide shut, but not before Starfire slipped inside the dark room.

"Uh…Starfire, what are you doing?" Raven asked, her heart fluttering, as the red-haired girl floated over to her bed and sat cross-legged in the indent where Raven's body had laid the night before.

"I am awaiting your change of clothes, so that I might accompany you to breakfast!" Star answered innocently. Raven mentally shook her head; the girl knew nothing of earthly ways. For some reason, Star's presence made Raven nervous and jumpy.

Trying to ignore the curious green eyes on her, Raven let her cloak drop to the floor, leaving her in a tank top and boy's boxers. Self-conscious, Raven pulled out a black top and dark leggings. The grey girl shimmied on the pants, and Star gulped, her mouth suddenly dry. Raven sensed Star's raging thoughts and blushed, becoming even more flustered.

After a deep breath, Raven turned away from Star to pull off her tank and put on her bra. Before she could reach behind her to clip the straps together, she felt warm hands graze her ribs. Raven froze.

"St-Star?" Raven stuttered. Starfire ran her fingertips around her ribcage to her back, where she gently clipped Raven's black bra together.

"That looks most appealing on you, friend Raven," Starfire said, trailing her hands back around to Raven's stomach and hugging her from behind. Raven blushed.

"Umm…" Raven managed to choke out against the emotions suddenly whirling around inside of her, "Thank you." She pulled on her shirt and turned to find Star, slightly pink, standing in front of her.

"You are most welcome, friend Raven," Star replied, not completely oblivious to what she had just done. "Come, your tea of chai is becoming colder!" With that, Star grabbed Raven's hand and dragged her behind. Raven allowed her, the only person she ever allowed to touch her, and followed Star to the kitchen, where the boys were all sitting around the table, looking tired and nervous to try Starfire's latest creation. Raven settled into her chair and picked up her tea, cupping it in both hands and inhaling the aroma, trying to calm her frazzled emotions.

Starfire ladled some type of casserole in front of Cyborg, Robin, Raven, and herself, then spooned something white and mushy looking onto Beast Boy's.

"Umm…Star?" Cyborg started, picking at the food dubiously, "What is this?"

"Oh, it is most enjoyable!" Star gushed, heaping some onto her fork, "It is made of foods of breakfast that earthlings like!" With that, she shoved the food into her mouth and chewed, smiling happily.

"I don't think I'm hungry," Raven muttered, eyeing the dish.

"And this is…?" Beast Boy asked, prodding the jiggly white mass in front of him.

"Tofu!" Star mumbled around a mouthful of food. After a minute, Cy picked up a forkful and held it near his mouth.

"Well, no harm in tryin' it," he said, and gingerly placed the fork into his mouth.

"No! Cy, don't do it man!" BB cried, trying to grab the fork.

"He was so young," Raven sighed sarcastically.

A minute passed of Cyborg chewing, gradually relaxing. The rest of the team stared. Finally, he swallowed, smacked his lips, and grinned.

"You're not dead," Robin pointed out incredulously.

"Y'all gotta try this!" Cy exclaimed, loading up another bite, "It's actually edible! Good, even!" Star clapped her hands in glee as the others all sampled her new creation while BB watched. It was a bit of an odd texture, but the casserole was surprisingly good, with toast, eggs, bacon, cheese, and other assorted breakfast foods. Raven took care to have Star notice she took second helpings. Why was she trying to impress her? Raven's mind whirled with unanswerable questions, and she could sense Starfire's emotions clashing as well. Something had changed between them in the past few weeks, and both girls could feel it.

Beast Boy ended up loving his tofu/veggie dish and ate his way through the entire pot. The rest of the five polished off the meatier casserole and then collapsed on the couch to watch T.V.

Cyborg clicked on the television and started flipping channels. Suddenly, Beast Boy yelled and pumped his fist in the air, causing Cy to stop on a channel.

"Yes! Fast and Furious! It's a marathon—Cy, can we please watch it?" BB pleaded, clasping his hands together at his best friend.

"Hell yeah, dude!" Cyborg agreed, slapping both BB and Robin a high five. The boys all settled back and got ready for a day of watching fast cars. Raven rolled her eyes and summoned her book with her powers, sitting cross-legged in the corner of the couch. Starfire sat on her left with her chin on her knees, and the three boys were on her right, splayed out on the couch and focusing intently on a big guy speeding around in a sports car.

For a long while, the five of them were quiet, only getting up to take Rocky out or when Robin grabbed them all sodas. Raven hardly noticed the world around her as she absorbed the words on the pages in front of her.

Hours later, Raven finished her book and looked up. The boys were still engrossed in the movies, but Starfire had slowly fallen asleep, drifting down until her head was in Raven's lap, slumbering gently. Raven stiffened, looking down at the beautiful girl in her lap. She had unconsciously laid a hand on Star's arm.

Raven traced her eyes across Starfire's features, taking in her flawless, tanned skin, the curve of her jaw, the thick, dark lashes that lined her eyelids. She noticed how soft and pink Star's lips looked, parted just slightly in her sleep. Curtains of thick red hair flowed softly across Raven's lap, and suddenly Starfire's faint, flowery perfume reached her nose. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.

'What are you doing?' she muttered to herself, mentally shaking herself from her reverie. 'This is Starfire. Calm down.'

Star nestled farther into Raven, sighing lightly in her sleep. Raven forced herself to fold her arms in front of her and pay attention to the movie—Fast and Furious 5. Why they felt the need to make more than one of the idiotic movies was beyond her, but the boys were still into it, taking sips of their drinks every so often. They had started the marathon at nine in the morning and had watched all day—it was now nearly ten at night. The damn movies were all over two hours long, and plus the commercials, they had wasted the whole day.

"I'm going to bed," Raven announced in her typical monotone after a while.

"Mmkay," Cyborg mumbled, eyes still glued to the screen.

"Take Star to her room, would you?" Robin asked, not even glancing her way. Raven felt a flare of annoyance, but gently lifted Star and glided to the alien's room. Pressing a button, Raven flew into the room and softly laid the other girl on her round pink bed. She turned to leave, but something stopped her, pulling her back to the bed. Tucking a lock of fiery hair behind Star's ear, she stared down at the face of her friend. Gently, Raven pulled Star's covers over her and, unbidden, dropped a swift kiss on her tanned cheek.

Flustered and confused, Raven teleported straight to her room and began meditating over her bed, too wound up to even contemplate sleeping. It took a full hour of silent meditation to calm Raven enough to sleep.

That night, Raven's dreams revolved around a certain red-haired alien. Little did she know that Star was dreaming of the dark-haired goddess in her own room.


	3. Decisions, Decisions

Chapter 2

Decisions, Decisions

A couple days later, Raven was jerked out of her meditation by someone outside of her room. She opened the door, pinching the bridge of her nose between a thumb and forefinger.

"What is it?" she grumbled.

"Uh, hey Rae, have you seen Star?" Robin asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"No." Raven was glaring at him.

"Oh, well, you see, I was going to ask her if she wanted to go to the park or—"

"Robin, I've been in my room all day. I haven't seen anyone. And stop trying to get me to help you get in Star's pants!" Raven's voice rose sharply at the end, and a few books flew off a shelf in her room, startling Robin. Raven sighed deeply and rubbed her temples—what was going on with her? It wasn't the first time Robin had asked for her help with Starfire.

"Uhm…Raven, are you okay?" asked Robin nervously, backing up a step or two. Raven answered while still rubbing her head.

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry. I need to be alone." Raven closed the door in Robin's face and sighed. She picked up her books and put them back in their respectful places on her bookshelf.

What was going on with her? First that kiss she gave Starfire after the Fast and Furious marathon, dreaming about her, and now this? She was overreacting, she knew, but something had changed recently. Star had always been overly friendly with Raven, but the dark girl had just assumed that was Tamaran customs. Was Star actually interested in Raven? More importantly, was Raven interested in Starfire?

Raven had been a lesbian for as long as she could remember, even back in Azorath, where she had grown up. She had never had a serious relationship, since she was terrified to feel anything—until the titans had defeated her father, Trigon. After that fateful event, Raven could safely feel her emotions, but old habits die hard.

Now that Raven was opening up more, was she falling for her best friend? Raven shook her head, confused. Eventually, she made her way out of her room and up to the roof, where she levitated cross-legged, facing west to wait for the sunset.

"Azorath metrion zinthos…Azorath metrion zinthos…" Raven chanted quietly, closing her eyes and clearing her mind.

An image wormed its way into Raven's mind—Starfire sunbathing at the beach, back from a vacation the summer before. Annoyed, Raven pushed the thought away and went back to meditating, but she had barely resumed when the memory of Starfire falling asleep in her lap a couple days ago lit up in her mind.

Scowling, she again cleared her thoughts and tried to relax. Starfire's expressive green eyes filled her thoughts. Frustrated, Raven rubbed her temples.

A soft touch suddenly landed on her shoulder, scaring her half to death. Raven gasped slightly and whirled around, her version of screaming in fear. Starfire stood above her, looking at her with concern in those eyes.

"Friend Raven? Are you alright?" Star worried, helping the mysterious girl to her feet.

"Starfire." Raven's voice was full of conflicting emotions, and she blushed. Why couldn't she keep her façade like normal?

"I did not mean to disturb you, but you looked upset and I wished to help," Star said, hugging Raven. By then, Raven had accepted the fact that Star showed affection by physical contact—she lost track of how many hugs Star dispersed to the titans on any given day.

Raven hesitated, then wrapped her arms around her friend's slender waist. She could sense Starfire's surprise—this was the first time Raven had ever reciprocated one of her many hugs.

"R-Raven?" Star asked, pulling back. Raven unconsciously kept her hands on Star's waist, and the red-haired beauty rested her own hands on Raven's forearms. They were close, within a foot of each other, and Raven wasn't used to such proximity. Anxiety rose its ugly head inside of her, but she pushed it back down, refusing to ruin the moment.

"Star, I have to ask you something." Star smiled tenderly.

"Of course, friend Raven."

"I-I was wondering if…if you wanted to see a movie with me tonight," Raven finished lamely, mentally kicking herself. _Stupid! Just ask her if she likes you! _

Star's face lit up, and she pulled Raven into another hug, laughing joyfully.

"Oh, I would love to! It is most wonderful that you wish to spend time with me!" Star gushed, holding Raven's hands in her own, eyes shining. Raven gave her one of her rare, beautiful smiles, and the girls went inside to get ready.

Half an hour later, Raven and Starfire were sitting alone in the very back of the theatre, waiting for the movie to start. Raven had wanted to see _Annabelle: A Haunting_, but had settled for a less-gory comedy to placate Starfire—she knew the alien didn't enjoy horror.

It was dark and silent as they waited for the movie. There were only a few other people in the theatre with them, dotting the seats in front of them. The closest person sat five rows ahead of them, munching on popcorn and sharing a soda with her date.

Raven was very nervous, knowing that the back row was most often used by couples wanting to make out. Starfire had chosen the seats, and she had to remind herself that Star probably didn't know that particular earth custom.

The seats had fold-away arm rests, and as the commercials ended and the movie began, Starfire pulled up the armrest between the two girls. Raven looked at her, confused.

Star then put her arm around Raven and pulled her close, so that Raven was leaning against her shoulder. Star kept her arm around her neck, and her thumb just barely grazed Raven's breast. Instantly, Raven felt the electricity send adrenaline coursing through her veins. Feeling hot and blushed, Raven shifted into a more comfortable position and laid a hand on Star's thigh, but did not pull away as she would have two weeks ago.

A half hour later, Raven glanced up at Starfire to see the alien staring down at her with shining eyes.

"What?" Raven whispered, sitting up slightly. The electricity that had been singing in her veins for the entire movie subsided slightly.

"You have not moved away," Star murmured happily, hugging the dark girl. Raven stiffened for a moment, than relaxed, allowing herself to lean even more heavily on the Tamaranean.

"I don't want to push you away anymore, Starfire," Raven replied quietly. She felt Star smile against her neck.

"I am glad."

Raven was practically laying on top of Starfire by the time the movie was over. As the credits rolled, Raven lay still, waiting for Star to push her away or try to get up. Starfire, however, was silent until the theatre was empty.

Star shifted slightly, and Raven sat up, staring at the other girl. Starfire smiled and reached out her hand, pushing a lock of Raven's violet hair behind one ear.

"You look most alluring with this haircut, Raven," Star complimented her. Raven had grown her hair out to her shoulder blades, and it hung in thick, dark curtains around her heart-shaped face.

"Thank you," Raven murmured, leaning her head into Star's hand, "I like yours, too." Star no longer had bangs, having grown them out to frame her face, and now parted her hair on one side instead of the middle. The new look made the redhead look older, more sophisticated.

Green eyes bore into navy ones as the girls sat in the theatre, holding each other and letting the silence stretch on.

"We should probably get home," Raven reluctantly pointed out, "Or the boys will come looking for us." Starfire nodded in understanding, and the pair stood up and walked out of the theatre, flying the rest of the way to the tower.

Raven laid in her bed later that night, thinking about the evening. It was surprisingly easy to let Starfire touch her, much easier than it had been for any of her other relationships. She was so comfortable around Star, letting her guard down. Raven remembered how Star had cupped her face after the movie, almost feeling her warmth on her cheek. The mysterious girl sighed.

She knew that it would be hard to date Starfire. Robin would be jealous, and the rest of the titans might not like seeing two of their roommates kiss or hug in front of them. LGBT Equality was becoming more popular in Jump City, but there were still people out there that didn't accept it, and Raven knew that those people may turn against the titans as a group. The last thing the team needed was a new set of enemies—they had finally been able to relax in the past year, now that Slade was dead, Trigon defeated, and the countless others behind bars.

Raven suddenly realized she didn't care how hard it would be. She was falling for Starfire, and she wanted to finally be happy. Starfire was kind, and gentle, and good, and would care for Raven and help her in times of need. She knew that Star would love her unconditionally—she had already been her best friend for years.

Sitting up, Raven silently made a pact with herself that she was going to open up to Starfire about how she felt. She was going to be happy. She was going to find peace.

With that in her mind and a smile on her face, Raven slipped into the world of dreams.


	4. The Dare

Chapter 3

The Dare

It was perhaps a week after Raven and Starfire's movie, and Robin was on one of his 'the team has to stick together' binges. He insisted that everyone was going to play old sleepover-y type games and sleep in the living room. Raven's social aloofness was throwing anxious daggers at her psyche as she walked slowly down the hall with her sleeping bag. She was the last to arrive, and she walked in to find the other four titans sitting in a circle with smoothies and a large bowl of popcorn.

"Hey, Rae," Cyborg greeted her, wearing a chef's hat. "I made you a smoothie!"

"What is it?" she asked dubiously as she dropped her sleeping bag and settled cross-legged in between Starfire and Cy.

"I made each one to fit our personalities," Cy explained proudly, handing Raven a dark purplish-blue drink. Raven looked around to see that each smoothie was a different color; Robin's was a rich crimson, Cyborg's was a light blue, Beast Boy's was a kiwi-green, and Starfire's was a bright, happy yellow.

Raven looked down at her dark drink and took an experimental sip. Blackberries, chai spices, blueberries, and honeysuckle exploded across her tongue, and the dark girl actually cracked a smile.

"This is good," she told Cyborg, who grinned happily; that was the closest thing in Raven's vocabulary to 'this is freakin' incredible.'

As Raven settled in, the rest of the group resumed the conversation they had apparently been having before the half-demon joined them.

"What do you mean, gender doesn't matter?" Robin asked Starfire, who sipped at her smoothie.

"When two Tamaranians fall in love, gender is not considered in the equation. We fall in love with personalities. We do not care about 'the sexes' on my home planet. Everything is gender-neutral there."

"Even the bathrooms?" Beast Boy wondered.

"Yes. I find it very strange that there is so much secrecy on this planet," Star replied, "I did not even know what a 'locket' was before I came here."

"Lock," Raven corrected quietly, and Star smiled warmly at her.

"Thank you, Friend Raven."

Raven was sure that she was the only one who noticed the tiny hesitation before the word 'friend.' She locked eyes with the alien and raised one eyebrow slightly; Star merely grinned and sipped her smoothie.

"So ya'll can like anyone, then?" Cyborg clarified.

"Yes." Starfire's reply was uncharacteristically simple and serious. "But I am one of the few to prefer one gender over the others."

"So you're straight," Robin concluded matter-of-factly; after all, they had dated, had they not?

"I did not say that," Starfire corrected. Robin raised his eyebrows but seemed strangely okay about the situation. Raven was surreptitiously watching Star out of the corners of her navy eyes.

"Any of y'all gay, too?" Cyborg asked as he looked around the circle.

"I'm bisexual," Beast Boy shrugged easily.

"And I am mostly pansexual, but I have only ever liked women, for the most part," Starfire cleared up her earlier statement.

"I—I think I'm straight," Robin hesitated, "But there's this guy…"

"Who?" Beast Boy immediately sat up and stared at Robin. The boy wonder blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm still not sure…" Robin muttered, "He's the only boy I've felt this way about before. I'm not ready to tell anyone about it."

"You can trust us," Starfire said gently, but Robin merely shook his head.

"What about you?" Cyborg asked Raven. She blushed slightly, looking around to find that everyone was staring at her.

"Um…" Raven stalled, fiddling with the straw of her smoothie, now almost empty. She was still a quiet, solitary person, and hadn't revealed much of her personal life to her friends. Finally, she looked to Starfire for support. The alien looked nervous, but smiled slightly to show her approval. Taking a deep breath, the empath looked around the circle.

"I'm a lesbian," Raven declared softly, meeting everyone's gaze and daring them to say anything.

"What? Come on, man!" Cyborg cried, and everyone turned to him.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Raven growled, flickers of black energy fluttering around her fingers.

"I'm just sayin' I'm the only straight guy here, man," Cy put his hands up in the air, laughing, "I don't care, it's just—some minority, huh guys?" With that, Raven relaxed, and the rest of the group chuckled along with Cyborg. After a moment, Raven gathered their empty glasses with her powers and floated into the kitchen with them.

Raven set the glasses in the sink and leaned over the counter, closing her eyes and taking slow, deep breaths to calm herself down. She had just revealed a huge part of herself to the only people she cared about, and they didn't care. They still loved and accepted her.

'And now Starfire knows I'm gay, too,' Raven thought, and the idea sparked a fire in her chest. With a ghost of a smile on her lips, Raven rejoined her friends, who were all looking nervous but excited.

"We're going to play truth or dare," Beast Boy informed her excitedly.

"No." It was an automatic reaction; Raven did _not _play games.

"Come on," BB whined, "It'll be fun!"

Sighing, Raven settled down next to Starfire again.

"Fine. But I'm not kissing a boy," Raven said, then flushed as she realized that she had just planted the idea of kissing each other into everyone's mind, and that her declaration had left only one person: Starfire. Raven wanted to kiss the alien, for sure, but she wanted it to be special, not because of some dare.

"I am starting," Starfire clapped her hands with joy. "We will play so that the receiver of the truth or the dare then does the asking, yes?" When the others nodded, she turned to Robin, seated on her right. "Friend Robin, truth or dare?"

"I think I can handle a dare," Robin replied dryly, flexing his biceps.

"I dare you, Friend Robin, to drink the wonderfulness of mustard!" Starfire replied happily, producing a bottle of it from behind her back. Robin paled slightly, but took the bottle nonetheless.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, then squirted a mouthful of the condiment into his mouth. Grimacing harshly, he forced it down, gagging slightly. Holding his stomach, he looked like he was about to barf. "That is so nasty."

Starfire merely smiled and took a mouthful for herself, joyously savoring the tart yellow topping.

"Alright, my turn," Robin recovered, looking around the circle. "Cyborg, truth or dare?"

"Dare." The half-robot looked smug, like he could take anything Robin threw at him.

"I dare you to…lick Rocky's nose," Robin grinned devilishly.

"Aw, man, that's messed up," Cyborg complained.

"If you don't do it, you gotta do the chicken song for all of us," Beast Boy interjected, struggling to hide his laugh as he changed into a rooster and clucked before turning back.

Groaning theatrically, Cyborg whistled, and Rocky bounded over to him.

"Sorry, boy," Cy wrinkled his nose, "Gotta do it." He closed his eyes and leaned down, gingerly sticking out his tongue and making contact with Rocky's cold black nose. Rocky happily kissed back, slurping his tongue over Cyborg's face and managing to lick the inside of his mouth.

"Eww! Gross, man!" Cyborg exclaimed, jerking away and wiping his mouth swiftly on his sleeve. "That is _so _not cool!" Oblivious, Rocky wagged his tail and cocked his head. Robin was howling with laughter, and Beast Boy and Starfire were not far behind. Even Raven was chuckling slightly.

Cyborg recovered after a while as Rocky trotted off to chew on his stuffed bear. Shuddering slightly, Cyborg stared around the circle.

"Raven, truth or dare?" Cyborg asked, his eyes alight with mischief.

"Nice try," Raven muttered sarcastically, "Truth."

"Do you like anyone?" Cy raised his eyebrows suggestively, and Raven blushed.

"No," she mumbled, turning her head.

"Hey, this is truth or dare, not lies or dare," Beast Boy pointed out playfully.

"I—I can't say," Raven protested weakly. She couldn't reveal to them all that she liked Starfire—it would be too embarrassing. What if she was wrong, and Star didn't feel the same way?

"You just have to say yes or no," Starfire interjected quietly, "You do not have to reveal the person of your infatuation."

Raven looked at her friend, studying the alien's face. Her emerald eyes were staring back unwaveringly, burning with a mix of emotions. As Raven watched her, she felt her cheeks warm with a soft blush.

"Yes," Raven finally managed, "Yes, I like someone." Raven turned to look at Cyborg. "Happy?"

"You know it," Cy winked mischievously. Sighing, Raven looked around the circle, her eyes settling on Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy, your turn," Raven announced lowly.

"Dare," the green teenager replied quickly, and Raven paused. She could sense Beast Boy's heartbeat had increased. Focusing harder, she saw the direction of his thoughts; smiling internally, she decided to help the poor kid out.

"I dare you to kiss Robin," Raven said, turning her attention to Robin's thoughts to gauge his reaction. The boy wonder blushed darkly, casting his gaze downwards. His thoughts were clashing around his head, but one idea stood out. _Yes._

"Ah, I don't know…" Robin protested weakly.

"Come on, man, don't make BB do the chicken dance," Cyborg complained, pretending to shudder in disgust. With a deep breath, Robin nodded and looked at Beast Boy.

Beast Boy turned to Robin, swallowing. Starfire clasped her hands together and smiled knowingly at Raven; apparently, she had also sensed the connection between the two youngest boys. Cyborg grinned in apparent relief of being spared Beast Boy's dancing.

Beast Boy and Robin were sitting next to each other, and Beast Boy shifted slightly into a less awkward position, then leaned forward. Robin kept his eyes open and BB closed his, but as their lips met, Robin's eyelids fluttered closed seemingly of their own accord. Hesitantly, Robin rested his hand on Beast Boy's shoulder.

The boys broke apart after a few moments, then stared at each other for a heartbeat before Robin cleared his throat. They looked back to the rest of the circle, but Raven didn't miss that they sat closer together after that.

"Anyways…" Robin mumbled, his cheeks red. Coughing slightly, Beast Boy looked at Raven.

_Thank you, _he thought hard at her, and Raven nodded discretely.

"Alright…Star, truth or dare?" Beast Boy asked, leaning slightly towards Robin in the pretext of looking at the alien.

"Oh, I pick truth," Starfire bubbled happily.

"That's not that different then what you're normally like," Raven pointed out, and the others chuckled.

"True," Cyborg agreed, "You do speak your mind, Star."

"Fine, then I choose dare," Starfire smiled, no less excited.

"I dare you to…do an impression of Raven," Beast Boy chuckled, and Starfire laughed.

"Alright, I will do the impression of Friend Raven," She agreed, and then levitated off the ground, legs crossed.

"Azorath metrion zinthos…" Starfire chanted, her eyes closed. Raven stiffened, waiting with baited breath to see what Star thought of her. Starfire kept her face deadpan as she repeated the phrase once, and then cracked one eye open.

"What?" she asked, her voice monotone. Beast Boy was holding back giggles. "Darkness and death are my only friends." Raven's heart dropped, and she looked down, surprised to find tears stinging the back of her eyes.

"Yes, darkness, death, and Starfire," Star continued, and Raven looked up hopefully. "Starfire annoys me, but I love her all the same. I even love Cyborg, Robin, and Beast Boy—even if I don't show it."

With that, Starfire settled back down, closer to Raven than she was before. Raven surprised everyone, including herself, when she threw her arms around Starfire and hugged her, hard.

"You don't annoy me," Raven told the alien fiercely, "You make me happy. I don't know what I'd do without you. If you weren't there for me after what happened with Trigon, I don't know what would have happened."

Starfire wrapped her slender arms around Raven and held her close. Raven could feel warm drips on her shoulder, and realized that Starfire was crying.

"That's gotta be the longest speech I've ever heard Rae say," she heard Cyborg say incredulously behind her.

Finally, Starfire pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"Really?" Star managed to say, one arm still on Raven's waist. Raven nodded, a bit embarrassed to have revealed so much of herself.

"And you're right," Raven admitted quietly, "I do love you. All of you."

"We love you too, Rae," Robin smiled, reaching out for her and quickly patting her shoulder; Raven allowed him to, even though she felt incredibly vulnerable.

"Yeah," Cy and Beast Boy said at the same time.

"I…I think I need to be alone for a minute," Raven muttered, fighting back tears of happiness; she had a reputation to uphold. Swiftly, she rose and teleported into her room.

As the black energy faded, the half-demon collapsed onto her bed, holding her face in her hands. She couldn't cry. She couldn't. So she had said I love you. So what? It wasn't like it was the end of the world.

_But it sort of is, _she thought, unbidden. _The end of the world of depression I was forced into. _Raven smiled as she slowly came to terms with the fact that she could be happy.

Raven calmed down and rejoined the group for the rest of the night, grinning.


End file.
